Suicide group secures lease on historic building

A major new facility for suicide prevention and counselling will open in Cork after Console revealed it has secured a long-term lease on historic Bessborough House in Cork City.

Console founder and CEO Paul Kelly said Bessborough House in Blackrock will be able to cater for as many as 20 families accessing its therapeutic and counselling services “within months” after it acquired the former convent from the Sacred Heart Sisters of Jesus and Mary.

Mr Kelly said it was “a major development” and that it would be able to receive referrals from across the southern region from families and individuals affected by suicide.

“We will have it as one of our centres of excellence,” Mr Kelly said of the property, which is on a lease of at least 25 years. “We got the keys on Wednesday, so it is very exciting.”

Console already has an office in Cork on Perrott Avenue but the new building will facilitate prevention and post-prevention therapy and counselling for those directly affected by suicide and self-harm and their families. The HSE’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is already on the grounds of Bessborough House.

It will now also be a centre for professional counselling, group therapy, child psychotherapy and family therapy, as well as housing Console’s educational programmes, such as the diploma in suicide studies.

The facility will also help train staff and Mr Kelly said the acquisition of Bessborough would mean a requirement for more personnel, and ideally expressions of interests from local people in helping to renovate the building.

“We are hoping the local community can help with the renovation work,” he said. “We will have to bring it up to a certain standard.

“We will have to engage more staff and that will be part of our strategy. We are dealing with the HSE on that issue.”

That work will ultimately result in weekend residential stays for people using Console’s services, in what Mr Kelly said would be a “comprehensive service that will be accessible to everyone”.

Console receives referrals from the HSE, GPs, social workers and directly from families. Mr Kelly said it would be “several months” before the residential aspect of the service will be up and running, but the building may be able to cater for as many as 20 families at a time at weekends.

The lease on the property is on favourable terms and Mr Kelly said it would save the charity money that can be spent on services. “It will be a great asset to the community,” he added.

* Console 24 hour help line: 1800 201 890

* Cork number: 021 4274218

* www.console.ie